


One Step at a Time

by Luxolin



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, One Shot, Short
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-03
Updated: 2020-07-03
Packaged: 2021-03-05 01:14:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,252
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25045960
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Luxolin/pseuds/Luxolin
Summary: Bernie isn't much of a dancer or a fancy clothes wearer....or a go-out-in-public-er, but Edelgard insisted on everyone attending the monastery's ball. So what's a girl to do? Be asked to dance by Hubert, of course.
Relationships: Bernadetta von Varley/Hubert von Vestra
Comments: 1
Kudos: 18





	One Step at a Time

The school dance, the most embarrassing time of the year. I had been dreading it ever since I had heard about it near the beginning of school. Apparently, it was a pretty big deal, especially for students looking for spouses at the monastery. All I could think was that it sounded like my personal nightmare. Beautiful people in beautiful clothes dancing in perfect rhythm, everything I was not. I wasn’t going to go. I would have been completely content sitting in my room working on my embroidery, but Edelgard insisted that we all had to be there. Something about not looking bad in front of the other houses. Although, knowing her, it was probably more about not looking bad in front of Professor. And so, there I was, standing by the food table watching everyone else have fun. 

Technically, I should have known how to dance by this point. Most nobles hire fancy dancing instructors to teach their kids how to not make fools of themselves in front of other nobles. But I didn’t get out much as a kid, so my parents didn’t bother. I guess they figured I wasn’t worth the time or money. I don’t really blame them. Dancing takes a certain amount of coordination that I’ve never possessed. Besides, dancing requires a partner and an audience and being the center of attention and a bunch of other stuff that I really really don’t want. Getting dressed up was already bad enough, I didn’t need more people staring. 

As a new song started, Dorothea pushed past me, holding hands with a guy I had never seen before. She looked gorgeous in her red evening gown. It clung to her body like paint, yet also enhanced her…assets. To my disbelief, it looked even better here under the sparkling lights of the monastery’s great hall than it had last week in town when she had purchased it. I guess that’s Doro’s fashion sense for you. She doesn’t just consider what looks good in the moment, she plans ahead to the actual event, surely something she picked up in the opera company. Petra and Ingrid both looked stunning tonight too, in the outfits Doro had picked out for them. Petra’s green silk slip left little to the imagination as she swept around the dancefloor with Claude and Ingrid’s blue velvet suit was tailored to perfection, even as she stood to the side of the room discussing something evidently quite heated with Felix who had elected to just wear his uniform to the ball. Doro had also picked out my current outfit, though I didn’t look nearly as elegant as the other three. My dress was short, poofy, long-sleeved, high-necked, pastel green, and I loved it. Doro really hit all of my points, but it didn’t seem to match the elegant atmosphere of the ball. 

Once again, I felt out of place. I didn’t really belong here with everyone else. They were all so amazing and I couldn’t even get out of my own head long enough to enjoy a party. Maybe I should just find Lin and sit with him. He wouldn’t ask me to dance or probably even talk that much. If anyone could nap with all this noise, it would be him. I did manage to sneak in some thread and a needle in my bag, so I could embroider my handkerchief while I wait for the festivities to be finished. Or better yet, Lin might have planned an escape route so he could show up and then leave to sleep without being stopped or reprimanded. I scanned the room but failed to find Lin’s distinct green hair. My heart sank as I realized he had probably already left. I was going to be stuck here the entire night, and I couldn’t even count on Lin to not talk to. 

I popped another cheese and cracker combo in my mouth and began to walk away from the food table. I could at least sit down and work on some embroidery while I was stuck here. A hand clamped down on my shoulder. Instinctually, my body froze, and I sucked air in a panicked gasp. The half-chewed cracker nearly slipped down my windpipe and I had to cough forcefully to get it back into the right system. Eyes wet and still coughing lightly, I looked back at my assailant. Hubert, of course it was Hubert. He’s the only one who would be sneaking around and scaring people at a dance. 

“You could have killed me!” I tried to muster up as angry a tone as I could, but even to my ears, it sounded a little pathetic. Probably because I had to clear my throat again in the middle of the sentence. 

“I didn’t know you were going to inhale so forcefully. Perhaps you should keep a closer eye on your surroundings in the future to avoid death by shock-induced choking.” His lips were curled into a slight, bemused grin. Again, only Hubert could talk about someone choking to death and make it seem like a knock-knock joke. 

“Why did you even grab me like that? You could have just said my name.” 

“I had been trying to, but you seem to be in your own little world. Either that or we need to have Manuela examine your hearing.”  
“Alright, you got me. What do you need?" 

He stretched out his hand towards me. “Will you dance with me, Bernadetta?" 

My face immediately began to burn. “D-dance?? No, I was—I really shouldn’t—I mean, I can’t--” Words flowed out of my mouth in a torrent of desperation. I was not going out on that dancefloor, especially not with Hubert von Vestra. I started backing away, gesticulating wildly as I explained why I couldn’t possibly join him for a dance. I mean, there were plenty of better partners to choose from. Why not find Edelgard? Or Dorothea? They know how to dance and are probably much more coordinated. Besides, the height difference would just be awkward, you know? I would have to reach up and he would have to reach down and that just wouldn’t work. 

“So that’s why I should just sit this one out and probably just go home too.” 

“We’re already on the dancefloor." 

“What!?” Sure enough, I looked around and we were in the middle of the hall, surrounded by other couples settling into their starting position for the next song. Somehow, as I was fumbling to find an excuse, he had gently grabbed my hand and led me straight onto the dancefloor. And now I was stuck here. I couldn’t leave. No no, I could not be the girl who ran away from the dance in front of everyone. People would talk about that for months. I could live with being bad at dancing because that’s nothing new, but I could not be known as a runaway. 

“Don’t worry about stepping on my feet,” Hubert said as the last couple scurried into their spot. “It can’t possibly hurt more than when Lady Edelgard does.” 

It took me a moment to process what he was saying. “Edelgard? Stepping on someone’s toes? That doesn’t sound like her.” 

He chuckled. “Yes, well, she prefers armor to formal attire. I’ve spent the last month tutoring her in many traditional dances as she was remarkably out of practice. It’s important for her, and you for that matter, to know these things. Alliances can be forged and broken in ballrooms.” 

He took my left hand and positioned it on back, then took my right hand in his left and placed his right hand on my shoulder. “I’m going to lead with my left foot, so you start with your right. One step back with your right, then step back and to the left with your left foot, then slide together. You’ll see how simple it is when we start.” 

“Simple!? I’ve already forgotten everything!” 

“Bernadetta, you will be fine. You can do this.” His voice was low and calm. The reassuring tone caught me off guard. I almost wanted to put the back of my hand against his forehead to see if he was running a fever. This was Hubert, right? He hadn’t swapped bodies with Ferdinand in some sort of freak magic accident? 

The music began, and the dancers took their first steps. I took an exaggerated step back with my right foot in anticipation of Hubert’s much longer stride. He, however, also compensated for my height and took a much shorter step than normal. I’m sure the result looked as awkward as it felt. The next few steps were just as awkward as we figured out how to accommodate each other and as I settled into the rhythm. The basic steps weren’t that complicated, but I slipped up now and again on which foot to step with. Hubert had to tell me when to turn, and we almost had a collision with a very bored-looking Edelgard and an indignant Lorenz because I lost my footing and had to use a few beats to recover. I think Hubert also needed a few beats to recover from the confusion of seeing Edelgard dancing with Lorenz. 

When the song finally finished, the crowd gave the dancers some polite applause. Clearly, this hadn’t been the most elegant group of the night. But it was over, and I was thankful for that. Hubert, still holding my hand, led me off the main floor and towards the back of the hall. 

“That wasn’t so bad, was it?” 

“No,” I admitted. “It was kind of,” I hesitated, looking for the right word, “fun? I mean, I don’t know if I would do it again, or if I was any good at it, but it wasn’t as horrifically embarrassing as I expected it to be. Probably all thanks to you, though. You’re obviously a good dancer if you kept me mostly in check.” 

“I don’t think you give yourself enough credit. Many people in this room wouldn’t have done nearly as well as you did in the same situation. You’re better under pressure than you think.”  
I stared at him. His expression was completely serious, but what he was saying was so ridiculous that I couldn’t help the nervous laugh from spilling out.  
“Well, anyway, I’m sure you would like to return to your room now?” 

“Please! I mean, if it’s alright for me to leave early." 

“It should be fine, now that you’ve made an official appearance. I’ll escort you back. There’s no telling what sort of suspicious characters might be lurking at this time of night.” 

We slipped out the back door of the great hall and made our way towards the dorms. The cool night air was a welcome change from the crowded event. With all the people crammed in there, I was starting to find it hard to breathe. Outside, however, the sky was illuminated by a full complement of stars. As we walked, I tried to find as many constellations as I could and making some of my own in the process. 

Hubert was quiet the whole way back. He was hard to read, though he always seemed to have something on his mind. I always thought that his calm exterior made him appear to know things no one else did, as if he had some hidden knowledge that let him stay unphased even in battle. Tonight, he was still pensive but more relaxed than I had ever seen him. He had a smile on his face, and it wasn’t even one of his mischievous grins. No, it was a small, but genuine smile. The calculated appearance had slipped a bit and he was just enjoying a nice night of dancing and stargazing. I couldn’t help but smile too at this realization. For the first time, I felt like I was in on the secret. 

“This is where I leave you,” he said as we arrived at the door to my room. I immediately felt disappointed. Disappointed? To be back at my room? Who even was I anymore? 

“I had a great time tonight. You aren’t so scary when you’re not trying to be. Maybe you should try smiling like you are now more often and people might be less scared of you.” 

He chuckled. “Perhaps if you joined us more often I would.” Then he took my hand, kissed it, and turned to walk away all before I could react. Heat crept back into my face as I processed what had just happened. “Goodnight, Bernie,” he said over his shoulder as he walked away. “Please make sure you’re in class tomorrow.” 

For a moment, I just stood there dumbfounded. This entire night had felt like a whirlwind and now I had to deal with the aftermath. Laughter echoed across the courtyard, probably another couple returning home from the dance. I hurriedly entered my room and slammed the door shut behind me. I set about untying ribbons and unbuttoning buttons and eventually succeeded in getting my dress off and slipping into my nightgown. Then, I scrubbed off the makeup Dorothea had insisted I wear to complete the look. When I finally settled down in bed, wrapped in my blankets and hugging my pitcher plant plushie, I still couldn’t shake the daze I found myself in. Nothing about this evening stood out in my mind, not the decorations or the food, not the dazzling dresses or graceful dancers. None of it, except Hubert. 


End file.
